Two weeks ago, my son, Rob, called from Mesa, Ariz. I asked him how he was doing, and he
explained that he was at work and couldn't stay on the phone.

"I just want to know how Kevin Dineen's interview went," he said.

Seriously. That was it. He has been a Blue Jackets fan from the beginning, loved the way Dineen
played when he was on the team and wants him to get the coaching job. I told Rob that as far as I
knew, the interview went well. As a bonus, I said I was doing fine.

My conversations with other fans in recent weeks have had a similar slant. Dineen was a popular
guy when he was here, and it's clear that many fans would like to see him behind the Blue Jackets'
bench.

There's no groundswell of support for interim coach Claude Noel that I can detect - nothing
against him and the joy approach; probably just a desire for something new - and the other names
leave a lot of people scratching their heads.

They don't know Scott Arniel, who coaches Manitoba of the American Hockey League, so they don't
really have an opinion of him. It was similar for Detroit assistant Paul MacLean, who's now out of
the picture, but at least he had the stigma/bonus of experience with the wildly hated, wildly
successful Red Wings.

People seem to be intrigued by what they have read about Hamilton coach Guy Boucher - he has yet
to be interviewed because his team is still in the AHL playoffs - because he's only 38 and is seen
by some as the next big thing in coaching. To many local fans, he seems like the mystery prize
behind curtain No.3.

Yet Dineen is like that old flame you still have a little crush on. For those who are genuinely
sorry that Ken Hitchcock was fired, Dineen is a comfortable alternative. They're not worried that
they're going to wake up in a couple of months wishing he would do a Filatov and scurry off to
Russia.

Being honest, some of that sentiment carries over to the local media. Dineen is a good guy with
a good track record who was as popular here with reporters as he was with the fans. He's going to
be an NHL coach in the near future, so why not with the Blue Jackets?

Mark me down as having one foot firmly planted in that camp. I also like Dineen, also think he's
going to be an excellent NHL coach and would also like to see him get hired by the Jackets. I'm
also glad he hasn't been hired yet. Given this critical juncture in Blue Jackets history - support
could dry up with two or three more years of losing - it's vitally important they get the best
person available.

If general manager Scott Howson didn't know that, he might have already pulled the trigger on
one of the three worthy candidates remaining and wouldn't be waiting on Boucher. Howson knows
Dineen's hiring would be popular and also knows that a "popular" move could still get him fired if
it's the wrong one.

"We have to hire who we think is the best candidate regardless of the popular opinion, because
popular opinion is only going to last so long," Howson said. "You've got to win, and when the
franchise does that, that will be the most popular thing. We have to hire who we think is
right."

Even if Howson won't say definitively he's waiting to interview Boucher, I'm glad he is. Boucher
might win here for the next 20 seasons. Or he might be the wrong fit. Howson has to know. The fans
have to know.

"If it takes another month, it takes another month," Howson said. "I don't think it will, but
this is the most important decision I will make, and it's absolutely critical to our success as a
franchise. We have to get the right person. We just have to."

It would be good if that's Dineen, but it might be Arniel or Noel, and it really could be
Boucher.

The right person is the coach who gives the Blue Jackets the best chance of winning.